Eddie Betts says the pain of Adelaide’s disappointing Semi-Final exit has hit him hard emotionally.
After a stirring win over North Melbourne in the first week of the finals, the Crows’ promising season came to a shattering end against the Sydney Swans at the SCG on Saturday night.
Adelaide conceded seven goals in the opening term to trail by 25 points at quarter-time and never really looked like challenging for victory.
“It’s hard when you go out like that especially with so much on the line,” Betts said on FIVEaa radio.
“Going up to Sydney to play Sydney is always a hard game and I guess that first quarter just didn’t go our way. They got a great start and then after that I think the scores were level for the rest of the game.
“But that first quarter just blew us away.”
Betts knows finals opportunities cannot be taken for granted.
The livewire forward has played in six finals series in his 12 seasons at AFL level, but has never advanced beyond the second week of the major round. Saturday night was only Betts’ 10th final from his 253-game career.
“It’s like climbing Mount Everest,” Betts said.
“We have to go all the way back to the bottom and start climbing again. We don’t know if we’re going to be back here next year.
“I was very emotional. Every other year I’ve been okay, but I actually broke down and cried this year. I was in tears. I’ve been playing footy for that long and all you want to do is play in a premiership.
“When I first started playing, I was just happy I was playing footy. Now I’m much older and I’ve been in the system for 12 years now, you just want to play in a premiership and you get so close, and it doesn’t happen.
“It’s hard.”
While it was a heart-breaking finish to the year, the 29-year-old described his decision to join Adelaide three years ago as “the best move of my life”.
Betts has finished as the Crows’ leading goalkicker every season since crossing from Carlton as a free agent at the end of 2013. He also continues to be one of the most selfless and popular players on and off the field at the Club.
“It’s been the best move I’ve ever made in my life,” he said.
“It was the hardest move I’ve ever made because I love the Carlton Football Club – I’m a life member and I’ve still got friends there – but in saying that, moving across here is the best move I’ve made.
“A fresh start, new people, new friends and I’m playing the best footy I’ve ever played. It’s worked for me.”
Players, coaches and staff will convene at Friday night’s Club Champion presentation at the Adelaide Convention Centre in the last official date on the Club’s season calendar.
Like many of his teammates, Betts will spend much of his offseason break overseas. His family will spend a week in Fiji and a fortnight in Italy before pre-season training begins in late November and early December.
But he already has one eye on Adelaide’s 2017 campaign.
“It’s going to be a good offseason,” Betts said.
“Looking at the group that we have and the youth that we have down there - the way that Charlie Cameron played on the weekend was unbelievable. I think next year we should put him up on the wing.
“I have a vision. It’s only my vision, but having Charlie Cameron and Wayne Milera on each wing. I think we should do that next year and let them run wild.
“We’ve got some things to look forward to next year.”
